Frequently Asked Questions

What is BBT Charting?

Basal Body Temperature charting gives us a window into the ebb and flow of hormones during your menstrual cycle. By regulating this ebb and flow, we feel we maximize your fertility. The basal body temperature is taken first thing in the morning upon waking and before you get out of bed. You should use a thermometer made for basal body temps. Pick a baseline time for taking you temps, i.e. the most common time you wake, and adjust your temperature .1 degree for each half hour variation in the time you take your temp. Temps should be raised .1 degree for each half hour earlier then your baseline time and lowered .1 degree for each half hour later than you baseline temp. Plot your temps each day manually by printing out a blank chart:

In a perfectly regulated cycle, temperatures should be lower in the first half of the cycle (the follicular phase), should spike or rise at ovulation around day 14, and stay higher for the entire second half of your cycle (the luteal phase). Don’t worry if yours does not look like this. Our job is to work on regulating your chart. If charting makes you too anxious or feel overly vigilant, let us know and we can use other methods to help us monitor treatment.

Preparing for Treatment

On the day of your treatment, wear loose fitting clothes. Eat a substantial meal within 3 hours of your treatment. Also try not to drink caffeine within 4 hours of your treatment. Caffeine fights the effects of acupuncture, so less is better.

How long will it take?

It is not uncommon in China to treat infertility with Traditional Chinese Medicine for a year or more. However, it is often impractical to treat for that long in our culture. We try to figure out each case in 3-4 menstrual cycles and 3-9 months of treatment is often a good try. You should take treatment in 3 month increments and continuing treatment should feel intuitively right at each point.

Research

Jane Lyttleton is a world renowned expert in combining acupuncture and western medicine. Her website list numerous studies that show beneficial effects of acupuncture. Google “acupuncture research” and you can spend a weekend. Double blind studies are difficult given that it is hard to tell someone they are getting acupuncture if they are not, but attempts are made and the evidence of efficacy is mounting.